On the 43rd anniversary of Venom’s ‘Welcome to Hell,’ The Metal Voice asked X users for their thoughts on the debut album, both when it was first released and now.
Ex-Metallica bassist Ron McGovney responded, “Total crap, although the people around me loved it.”
‘Welcome to Hell’ came out on December 12, 1981, through Neat Records. Its raw and unpolished sound, a result of being recorded in just three days, received mostly good reviews. Most even credited the album with the creation of the black metal genre, alongside Venom’s 1982 follow-up ‘Black Metal.’
Around the same time, Ron McGovney made his live debut with Metallica. He left the band in 1982, before the release of ‘Kill ’Em All,’ due to conflicts with Lars Ulrich and Dave Mustaine. After that, he briefly played with the band Phantasm until they disbanded in 1988.
Since then, McGovney hasn’t worked on regular music projects. But he joined Metallica for occasional events, including their 30th anniversary celebration in December 2011. He also performed with Megadeth in a one-off show in 2013.
Metallica is now getting ready for the 2025 leg of their M72 World Tour, supporting their 2023 album ‘72 Seasons.’ The tour starts in Syracuse, New York, on April 19 with stops in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
